Conveying apparatus.



No. 718,135. A V PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903 G. A. AMSDEN. A

CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION IILBD FEB. 14. 1902. no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

No. 718,185. PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

G. A. AMSDEN.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED-FEB. I4, mp2.

- NO MODEL.

2 SHEETSSHEET an I- l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. AMSDEN, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETS, ASSIGNOR TO LAMSON CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 718,185, dated January 13, 1903.

I Applieation filed February 14. 1902. Serial No. 94,019. (No model.)

To all whont it putt concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. AMSDEN, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in conveying apparatus; and its object is to produce an automatic apparatus in which parcels are automatically picked up and upon reaching thei r destination are automatically discharged.

My invention consists of certain novel features hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a construction embodying my invention, Figure l is a side view of my improved 2o conveying. apparatus. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of the stations. Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 with parts in a different position. Fig. 5 is a detail view her inafterdescribed.

Fig. 6 is an end plan view of the support for holding the parcel which is to be detached. Fig. 7is adetailview showing aparcel grasped by one of the carriers. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the gripping-clamps. Fig. 9 is a de- 0 tall view hereinafter explained.

Like letters of reference refer tolike parts throughout the several views.

In the upper and lower tracks A and A there is located and adapted to move the car- 5 rier B, to which is secured the casting G, to which is secured the upper clamp D. In the lugs D is mounted the fixed shaft Dion which is pivotally secured the arm D carrying at its lower end the clamp D The tracks A A 0 are supported by a suitable wire E and downwardly-extending brackets E. This bracket supports at its lower end the tracks A A and which form the lower track. On the rear end of the carrier B is the lug E to which is 5 connected the cable E driven by suitable power to move the carriers, of which there may be any number on the line. Supported by said bracket E is a cam-plate F, which at each station is located at difierent heights, so

that only such carrier as is intended to dis 5o charge or pick up at that station is operated by said cam-plate, as those carriers not intended to be operated pass by without being operated. Extending through the cam-plate F is a lever F, pivoted at F to the track A and to the rear end of said lever is pivotally secured the link F which is connected to the bell-crank lever F to which is pivotally co'n nected the link F whichin turn is pivotally connected to the rod F pivoted at F, and on the forward end of said rod F is a roller F Contacting with said roller is a latch G, held in its forward position by the spring G and adapted to engage with the finger G fast on the rod G and to compress the spring G so that when said latch G is removed from said finger G therod G is moved upwardly by the spring G On the upper end of said rod G is the support H for a parcel B, Fig. 6. In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and e the carrier, as shown, belongs to that station and is to be operated from there to automatically pick up and transmit a parcel B. In Fig. 3 the carrier is approaching the station previous to its operation, and as it continues its travel the friction-roller D strikes the lever F and through the bell-crank lever F link F and rod F the latch G is released from the position shown in Fig. 3 and the support H is raised to the position shown in Fig. 4, with the fin- 8o ger G against the lug G As the carrier coutinues its travel the clamp-jaws D D open and close on the parcel and transmit it. The shape of the support H permits of the lower clamp coming under the greater part of the load, so that it can be lifted up, together with the bottom jaw D out of the path of the support H. As shown in Fig. 5, the arm B of the carricrpasses above the cam-plate F and is not operated at the station shown in Fig. 5 and passes on and is operated in a similar manner to that previously described at the station to which it belongs. As the roller D does not engage the cam-plate F, Fig. 5, the support H at that station is not raised, so that the carrier passes over the parcel without taking it up. The carrier returning along the upper track with its load passes onto the lower track, and the arm D strikiug its camplate or the one with which it cooperates the clamp-jaws are opened and the parcel drops into a suitable basket J. When it is desired to despatch a parcel, the same is placed upon the support H and the support shoved down so that the finger G comes under the springcatch G. This downward movement takes the parcel out of the path of all the carriers except the one which is operated at that station, which, as shown, operates mechanism to raise the parcel in position to be grasped by the open jaws and transmitted. These parcels, which may contain merchandise or cash, are transmitted to the central station, (well known in cable systems,)where they are discharged by the carriers engaging a camplate located so as to operate all of the carriers and subsequently are placed in the carriers to which they belong and returned and discharged into their respective baskets, the parcel belonging to the station shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 being automatically dropped by the opening of the jaws due to the camplate F, and if there should be another parcel at this station it is automatically raised, as previously described, and grasped by the traveling carrier 13 and carried to the central station. There may be as many of these stations on the line as desired. The cable E is continuous and passes around a suitable number of pulleys E and the way formed by thetracks A A A A is also continuous.

I do not limit myself to the arrangement and construction shown, as the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction embodying the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. Inaconveying apparatus, a track or way, a carrier provided with a clamp adapted to be continuously moved on said track or way, a movable support for the parcel to be carried located out of the path of the traveling clamp, means for holding said support out of the path of the traveling clamp, means for opening said clamp as the carrier approaches said support, mechanism operated by said clamp for releasing said support, and means for lifting said support to raise the parcel into the path of the traveling clamp whereby said parcel is seized by the clamp and conveyed from said support.

2. In a conveying apparatus, a track or way, an endless propellingcord adapted to be moved continuously alongthe line of said way, a carrier permanently connected with said cord and movable along said way and having a clamp to seize the parcel to be conveyed, a movable support for the parcel located out of the path of the traveling clamp, means for holding said support out of the path of the traveling clamp, means for automatically opening said clamp as the carrier approaches said support, mechanism operated by said clamp for releasing said support, and means for lifting said support to raise a parcel into the path of the traveling clamp whereby a parcel is seized by said clamp and conveyed from said support.

3. In aconveying apparatus, a track or way, an endless propellingcord adapted to be moved continuously along theline of said way and having permanently connected thereto a number of carriers, said carriers having clamps to engage the parcels to be conveyed, a number of movable supports for the parcels, clampbpening devices adjacent to said supports but located at different positions with relation to the track at the different supports, cooperatingclamp-opening portions arranged in different positions on the different clam ps wherebya given clamp is opened when passing a given support but not when passing others, means for holding each supportout of the path of the traveling clamps, mechanism operated by the clamp engaging its clampopening device forreleasing said support, and means for lifting said support to raise the parcel into the path of the opened clamp whereby said parcel is seized by said clamp and conveyed from said support.

4. In aconveyingapparatus,a track or way, an endless propellingcord adapted to be moved continuously along the line of said way and having permanently connected thereto a number of carriers, said carriers having clamps to engage the parcels to be conveyed, a number of movable supports for the parcels, clamp-opening devices adjacent to said supports but located at different positions with relation to the track at the different supports, cooperating clam p-opening portions arranged in different positions on the different clamps whereby a given clamp is opened when passing a given support but not when passing others, means for holding each support out of the path of the traveling clamps, mechanism operated automatically by the clamp engaging its clamp-opening device for releasing said support, and automatic means for lifting said support to raise the parcel into the path of the opened clamp whereby said parcel is seized by said clamp and conveyed from said support.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 10th day of January, A. D. 1902.

GEORGE A. AMSDEN.

Witnesses:

A. L. MESSER, V. M. MACLELLAN. 

